Guru Purnima Day.

*Guru Purnima Day was celebrated at Chinmaya Mission, Madurai, with religious fervor and Guru bakthi, on July 25, 2010 (Sunday)..

*After the regular evening Aarthi at Sri Dakshinamoorthy Sannadhi, Swami Sivayogananda, Acharya, performed the "Guru Padhuka Pooja", followed by Bhajans by Devi Group members.

*A slide show of ' Kailas Yatra', under taken by Swami Sivayogananda and a group of mission members, was also shown, as a power point programme, that thrilled the audience..

*" O! Himalaya, Mountain Divine, yours is luck unparalled!..... On other mountains, in the dark caves, one finds only jacklals and tigers; in you alone dwell enlightend hermits in peace and bliss! O Mother land, you are blessed, for this noble mountain is your head! O Indian, you are thrice blessd, because you are the child of this great Bharat !- " Sri Swami Tapovanam..(Page 38, Wanderings in the Himalayas)

*After a special Aarthi to Guru Dakshinamoorthy, Prasadms were distributed to the devotees.

Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan - Seva at Balar Illam

Members of Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan conducting ' Balvihar ' classes in Balar Illam, Tirunagar - a home of 60 girls, have decided to distribute FREE UNIFORMS for all , through CHINMAYA SEVA TRUST,. on July 19, 2010.

Sri . Thilagar. secy., of the Mission welcomed the gathering. Sri. M.S.Meenakshisundaram, the President of the Mission, highlighted the various activities of the Seva Trust & received a loud applaud in appreciation, when he promised to conduct ' Medical camps' once in six months regularly.

Sri. Krishnaswami, who is arranging 'yajnas' for the past ten years, in Tirunagar, came forward to lend his hand in promoting spoken English among them,. The inmates were very happy.

Sri. R.Chokalingam, (Vijaya Printers) was the 'Guest Speaker' of the evening. Delighted to distribute the school uniforms, he guided the care-takers of 'Balar Illam' to be more associated with the Mission to inculcate the values & to be aware of our ancient sacred land.

Swami Sri Sivayogananda, stressed the need to have a 'role model' in one's life whom you look upon to lead a peaceful & joyful life. Glimpses of 'Gurudev', 'Bharati', and Vivekananda were quoted by Acharya. The inmates listened to him with rapt attention.

Sri. Balasubramaniam, a member, wanted to share his last drawn salary before retirement with 'Balar Illam' & 'Chinmaya Kudumbakam'. His dinner service to everyone gathered, was touching.

Smt. Mallika Sekar, expressed vote of thanks. Large number of Chinmaya Mission members and devotees attended the meeting... With National Anthem, the programme came to an end, leaving behind the memories of Gurudev, who was the cause for such humaneness, compassion & empathy.

Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan - Seva at Balar Illam

Gnana Yajna at K.Pudur, Madurai.

Gita Gnana Yajna was organized in Sri Karpaga Vinayagar Matric. Hr. Secy. School, K.Pudur.. Br. Pavithra Chaithanya, Acharya, Chennai handled the text "Akshara Brahma Yogam" eighth chapter of Bhagavat Gita.

Sri Krishnamoorthy, the Chief Guest in his address stressed the need of such yajnas in the present time and requested the audience to bring more young people.

While Sri Thilagar, Secy. honoured the Acharya., Mr. Gopalsamy, Jt. Secy welcomed the audience.

The message of the Yajna in a nutshell:

• 'Brahman' cannot me measured
• 'is' alone exists, imperishable
• that supreme is there in every being
• always remain as 'manager' of the farm and not the owner
• let Thy will be done
• repeated births is because we forget this 'Supreme truth'
• two pre-requisite for constant remembrance - 1. unshakable faith & 2. unconditional surrender
• in fact all the 18 chapters of Bhagavath Gita is only the explanation of the Mahavakya - "Tatvamasi" !
• many quotes from Kural, Tiruppavai, Thiruvasagam and Thirumandiram, sung by Acharya made the Satsang more interesting !

Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan Meeting - July 2010

Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan, a wing of Chinmaya Mission, organised a meeting for Senior Citizens, at 'Chinmaya Meenakshi' Doak Nagar, Madurai., on July 4, 2010., as guided by Swami Sivayogananda, Acharya.

The Camp started with Prayer and Mrs. Mangayarkarasi Ramaiah, welcomed the gathering.. Prof. Hema, shared her experience of coaching English to the inmates of Ballar Illam.

A well known educationist, Retd. Prof. Dr. Padma Srinivasan, guest speaker shared her fond memories of association with Gurudev Swami Chinmayannda, who motivated her to pursue her carrier. Further she suggested that the 'grandmas' gathered, should develop their inherent talent of 'story telling' and take it to such inmates, in the Illam.

Br. Pavithra Chaithanya, Chennai, made a brief address, quoting a song from 'Thirumoolar'...."to speak kind words" was his message, in spite of age, generation gap and other ailments !

It was resolved to distribute uniforms to the students in Balar Illam at Tirunagar, with the contributions given by the Forum members.

Mrs. Mallika Sekar proposed voted thanks........

Gita Chanting Competition 2010 - An Appeal !

Hari Om! Namaste !!

Greetings from Chinmaya Mission, Madurai.

Madurai Chinmaya Mission, is conducting Gita Chanting Competition for the school children for more than 12 years. More than 60,000 children were trained to chant Gita Verses of various chapters and prizes were distributed to the winners. Not only the children, but also their parents learn Gita Slogams, to train their children! That means in addition to 60,000 children, 1,20,000 parents are also participating and join with us to know our Indian Culture and tradition...

Voluntary free service members from Chinmaya Yuva kendra members, Devi group, various Sanskrit Professors and many spiritual people, are joining, in this great event.

The organizers need money to provide necessary coaching materials, Sweets to the children, Certificates, Invitation, prizes at various levels, lunch to the students & Parents, tea, Biscuits,etc., during the long drawn activities, starting from June & ending with the finals by October , every year.

May I take this opportunity, to request the good hearted philanthropists, pious and religious minded persons to extend their help, to conduct the competition successfully, to spread the spirituals of the Greatness of Gita!

Donations may be sent to Chinmaya Mission, Madurai, by way of a Cheque or Demand Draft, in favor of Chinmaya Seva Trust, payable at Madurai..

With best wishes and regards,,

M.S. Meenakshisundarm

President, Chinmaya Mission, Madurai

Mahabaratha Gnana Yajna - Tirunagar, Madurai

VENUE: Dharmakshethram, Tirunagar, Madurai

DATE : from 08.06.10 to 13.06.10

Swami Sivayoganandha, simply transported the audience to the battle field... The closing days of the ferocious war. The war of 'Mahabaratham' is not just a war in the history!.

It reveals number of 'Dharma' of perfect living. The discipline & the morale followed during the war, by both the sides is just amazing !

Swamiji's explanation of the ' humane ' of Shri Krishna, took us to the lotus feet of the Lord .

Drops of wisdom from the Great epic:

• Perseverance on the right path, meditation & nithya pooja gives the power to achieve.
• The mind becomes pure when negative & dirty thoughts vanish.
• When any action is taken with a view of 'good for all' & 'enmity to none' , one is sure to climb the ladder of success.
• During turbulant period, one should always act as per the advice of the 'Guru' - 'The voice of God'.
• Anger is always one letter short of danger.
• True knowledge is to know what is right & to avoid what is wrong.
• Charity done for pomp & show will not save one.
• Forgiving the ignoble deed helps to reach the Lord.
• Unconditional surrender to the Lord alone bring success even in the material world
• Satsang with great & noble souls helps one to be quiet, polite & revel in the Lord.
• Gods have no moods., they have only sense of time
• the one who is proficient and efficient, will get success. Even if you don't succeed, in spite of your efforts you will not go unnoticed .

The recent topics of the 'Corporate World' like ' Motivation', 'Crisis Management', 'Teamspirit' etc., are found in abundance are dealt in detail by Sage Veda Vyasa in Mahabaratha. It is a hidden treasure to be explored by MBAs & HR Personnel.

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Chinmaya Mission, Madurai - Uttarakasi camp - 2010

Chinmaya Mission Madurai organized "six day residential camp" at Tapovan Kutir , Uttarakasi from 25^th to 30^th May,2010. Devi kalotara jnanasara vicharam of Ramana Maharishi and Srimad Bhagavatam 8^th canto were the texts for the camp. The camp Acharya Swami Sivayogananda handled the texts in a simple and lucid manner. All the 68 delegates who attended the camp enjoyed the subtle subject of Sri Ramana Maharishi and the Values behind the stories of Bhagavatam. Evening satsangs were handled by Poojya Swami Dyananandaji . The serene ashram atmosphere, hospitality, Tapavan kutia and Ganges made the camp, very memorable for the devotees.

All the camp Delegates along with swami Sivayogananda undertook chardam yatra to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and felt a life time spiritual experience.

‘Maha Prasthanam’ as it is called, travelling on Siwalik range of Himalayas, beside Ganges, is a life-time experience.

· Darshan of Yoga Narasimar of Joshi Math in Pippalkot and Gupth Kasi are rarest of the rare opportunity....

· Ketharnath decked with snow flakes along with the abode of Adi Shankar....

· The vision of Neelakanda parvath, in the Himalayan hills range...

· Badrinath, the graceful descend of Badrinarayana on this earth....

· Gangothri dripping from the mattered locks of Lord Siva....

· Yamunothri – the river bank oft pervaded by Sri Krishna....

· Haridwar – immense footprints left by many many sages during Kumbamela...

· Rishikesh, the seat of Swami Sivananda from where Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, emerged.....

· Vimaleshwar Shrine , in Dharukavan hills range..

· Rudraprayog, meeting of the rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini are the

Places of Serenity, Sanctity, Beauty and Elegance. They are not to be just remembered but cherished in one’s life....

· visit of Vyasar gufa, Ganesh gufa and the thundering flow of the river saraswathi., are unforgettable experiences ..

Gnana Yajna at Tapovan Kutir - Uttarakasi (Himalayas)

GnanaYajna by Swami Sivayogananda....

Topic : Devi Kalothram by Ramana Maharishi

Venue: Tapovan Kutir, Uttara Kashi (Himalayas)

Devi Kalothram one of the masterpiece of Ramana Maharishi, when he was in Virupakshi Cave, Tiruvannamalai.

Set in tune by Smt. Pichammal, the text was vividly explained by Swami Sivayogananda, Camp Acharya. The two great sages – Tapovan Maharaj and Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, were the silent observers of the Yajna along with Ramana Bagavan. So serene was the ambience.

Lord Siva explains the Supreme Knowledge to His consort – Parvathi. Being the Divine Mother, her request was

· Liberation from all the worldly ties...

· The path should be one and only way...

· It should be easy for everyone to follow..

‘Devi’ represents human consciousness ‘Siva’ is Nirguna and Suddha Brahmam.

‘Kalagnanam’ is mere information

But ‘Kalothara gnanam’ becomes the experience of a sadhak, when heard from a Guru.

In short, the message is:

· The culmination of all knowledge is sacred and spiritual.

· Spirituality demands a lot of internal discipline.

· Let our ears allows us to sink into the heart.

· Be innocent and pure like a child.

· Shed off ‘ego’.

· Be extremely compassionate.

· Slowly grow out of your own contradictions.

· First, establish your identity as a spiritual seeker which demands,

o Quietening the mind o Be firm.

Controlling the mind is controlling the flow of consciousness.

Hence

• step 1 :Quiet the mind.!
• step 2 :possess firm intellect.!
• step 3 :to be associated with such like minded people.! (Eg: Sathsangh)

· Thus this ‘viveka buddhi’ becomes experience through ‘vairagya’. This experience of total bliss will close the external doors.

· Then all the pleasures conditioned by time and space will wane and melt.

· So make "U turn." We are given the power to look within. Exercise that freedom well.

· Then you are ever liberated.

· If you are a seeker, declare your independence.

· Thus the purpose of life is fulfilled.

· No need to run away from the world. The core of one’s personality is so pure and each soul is potentially Divine.

· Pray for inner strength.

· The mind is engulfed by that brightness.

· Realise the 'Self ' which

o Always exists

o Which always shine

o Which is ever in blissful state.

· Such is the greatness and depth of our spiritual knowledge.

· So, Turn...Dive... and

Dissolve.......